


Crowning Glory

by tastyboots



Category: Iron Man (Comic), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel 3490, Marvel Avengers Movies Universe, The Avengers (2012), The Avengers - All Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - Always the Opposite Sex, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Angsty Schmoop, F/F, F/M, Genderswap, Natasha Stark is Girl!Tony, Personal Canon, girl!tony, mentions of torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-23
Updated: 2012-06-23
Packaged: 2017-11-08 12:38:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/443266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tastyboots/pseuds/tastyboots
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For most of Natasha Stark’s life she had long hair...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Crowning Glory

**Author's Note:**

> In Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #2 Reed Richards discovers an alternate universe, which he calls Earth-3490, in which Tony Stark was born a woman named Natasha Stark who eventually married Steve Rogers, therefore preventing Civil War in that universe.
> 
> In the comic Natasha Stark is wearing the Iron Woman armor in the only panel she is in, thus covering everything but her face.
> 
> This is my headcanon about her hair.
> 
> Title suggested by [alleyquat.](http://alleyquat.tumblr.com/)

For most of Natasha Stark’s life she had long hair, despite the hazard it caused in the workshop. Maybe because she’s vain, or maybe because she wanted to keep it like her mother’s, or maybe because her publicist told her to keep it long, or maybe because her father once told her that her long hair looked beautiful.

But then Natasha is kidnapped and they want her to build them a bomb, and when she refuses they waterboard her and shave off all her hair.

She doesn’t tell the press this. If anyone asks, she tells them that she cut it herself after she got back.

She hates it for a while, aches to have her hair back, but it’s less of a fire hazard while she’s working, and it’s easier to wash engine grease out of, and eventually she starts to like it.

But Pepper makes an offhand remark about how she sort of misses her long hair, so Natasha grows it out while they’re together. It starts to fall into her eyes, and Natasha finds it a bit annoying, but she lets it grow because she’d give Pepper anything.

But things don’t work out between the two of them, so the first thing Natasha does after their breakup is cut her hair.

The first time he meets her, Steve Rogers doesn’t know what to make of this woman. Natasha Stark, with her short hair and her glowing arc reactor and her power heels, represents this strange and unfamiliar future for him and he resents her for it. _Tough girl in a suit of armor. Take that away— what are you?_

And then she goes and exceeds all of his expectations. And the more he gets to know her, the more he likes her, and Natasha slowly becomes one of his greatest friends. They still fight, but as time passes their fights are more about Natasha’s sleep schedule and risky battle maneuvers than attacks on each other’s personality.

Steve tells her about Peggy and Natasha starts growing her hair out again.

A couple of months later Steve tucks a strand behind her ear and says, “It’s gotten so long… I liked it when it was shorter.”

She stares at him and he stammers, “Not that it doesn’t look good now. I think it’s dynamite. I mean, your hair always looks great. I just— You looked beautiful with short hair. Not that you don’t—”

Natasha saves him from embarrassing himself further by kissing him until he forgets what he was saying.

She gets a haircut the next day, but keeps it just long enough for Steve to have something to hold on to.

**Author's Note:**

> I may add another chapter or two to this fic and/or turn it into a little series. We shall seeeeeeee.


End file.
